“Depression sufferers who only take medication, and do not receive psychotherapy, have a significantly higher rate of relapse.”

With this comment, David Yapko is advocating for a biopsychosocial approach to depression treatment. He believes that depression is related to genetics, psychological factors such as negative or positive thinking styles, and to the social system in which we live. The name of his book, “Hand-Me-Down-Blues” discusses the role that families play in inadvertently transmitting depressive patterns to children. We may learn a particular style of thinking and relating to the world from our parents. That style of thinking will determine how we approach the problems and challenges of daily living, and may in turn, effect our mood and depression levels. In psychotherapy, we have the opportunity to explore both our current thought processes, and the context from which they evolved. In so doing, we can make the changes necessary to prevent relapses of depression in future.

If you would like to read more about this, please see:

“Hand-Me-Down-Blues” by David Yapko.